Cask & Larder: Now Serving Delicious Lunch

Where else can you find Rabbit Meatloaf with Pickled Green Beans and Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich for a business lunch in Orlando than at Cask & Larder? The "Southern public house" eatery, which has been operating for nearly a year, is known for its pig roasts, its outstanding upscale Southern comfort food dinner, and its scrumptious Sunday brunch.

Now, the restaurant has expanded to offer lunch on Wednesdays through Saturdays, from 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. If you have never had the opportunity to try Cask & Larder - the brainchild of James Beard-nominated chefs James and Julie Petrakis - the reasonably-priced and eclectic lunch menu is the perfect chance.

When I previewed the menu last week, I was pleased to see some Southern favorites, such as Po'Boy and Muffuletta, with Cask & Larder's special twist. "Everything is Southern inspired. We do our own picking and meat curing, and use our smoker in back daily," chef de cuisine Rhys Gawlak, told Flavorful Excursions. The Po' Boy ($13) is served on a celery seed hoagie with crispy oysters and bacon, and green tomato chow-chow. All the snacks look amazing, including the Basket ($7) which includes hush puppies, fried garlic-dill pickles, okra, and savory scones, served with hot sauce aioli. My dining companion tried the Crostini ($13), which includes blackened Royal Red shrimp, red pea hummus, and frisee slaw. He said it was delicious.

Now on to the entrees that I truly enjoyed and would recommend that you order. The Peel-n-Eat Shrimp ($15), swimming in a sauce of wit beer, orange juice, fennel pollen and spicy peppers, and served with a baguette, was so delicious. I loved how all the flavors worked so well together and appreciated that the shrimp was not overcooked. The Rabbit Meatloaf ($14), served with potato puree, marinated mushrooms, crispy haricot verts and picked quail egg had a very interesting flavor. It provided just the bit of gaminess that rabbit provides without hitting you over the head with it. I am not sure the quail egg is needed, though.

I would also highly recommend the Bibb Lettuce Salad ($12), which is served with spiced pecans, candied squash, watermelon radish, and buttermilk dressing. The heat from the radish and pecans pairs perfectly with the delicate Bibb lettuce and candied squash. Next time I visit Cask & Larder for lunch, I plan to try one of the restaurant's unique cocktails, including C & L Lemonade, which consists of Enlightened Grain Tea and Sage infused vodka, house-made pink lemonade, and Fever Tree ginger beer. Plus, Cask & Larder also offers an extensive selection of its House Brews for $6.

What do you think of Cask & Larder's lunch, dinner, brunch and pig roasts? I would love to see your review below.

Where: 565 West Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park. Fla.

Beautiful Plates, Scrumptious Food at The Ravenous Pig

Painted Hills Striploin - Photo by Shad Bookout

Even though The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park, Fla., has been around for a few years, I so enjoyed re-discovering it on a recent special night out. The ambiance is perfect for a special occasion, or even for a quick lunch of one of the best burgers in Orlando. At night, the food created by James Beard Award nominated chef-owners James and Julie Petrakis is complemented by low lighting and antique-looking ceiling tiles. This place has character. 

Even more importantly, the unique food is reflective of the caliber of chefs preparing it. There were so many dishes recommended to me by friends and loyal customers, including the Florida Black Grouper, the shrimp tacos appetizer, and of course, the House-made Charcuterie and Artisan Cheese plate. The Ravenous Pig has a charcuterie in-house and prepares and smokes all of its meats.

On this evening, we wanted to try a couple new entrees: the Painted Hills Striploin and the Loch Duart Salmon. The steak-sauce rubbed striploin was accompanied by soudough gundi, smoked bone marrow, royal trumpets and tomato bearnaise sauce. First off, the presenation is top-notch. The tender bone marrow has a wonderful smoky bacon flavor. When you take a bite of everything together - including the bitter greens on top - the flavors complement each other perfectly. The salmon was cooked absolutely perfectly, but I was most impressed by the multi-layered bacon-tomato soffrito sauce accompanying the fish. It is wonderful to taste the smoky bacon flavor alongside fresh tomatoes and other vegetables.

The Turtle Tart - Photo by Shad Bookout

Because The Ravenous Pig's entrees are light, we actually had room to try some of the restaurant's amazing desserts. We are so glad we ordered The Turtle Tart - where has this been all our lives? Every bite of this chocolate ganache tart served with dark chocolate sorbet, salted caramel custard and cashew brittle was absolutely heavenly. That house-made brittle is to die for! We also tried the Crisp, a cobbler-type dish featuring Florida peach and blueberry, oatmeal streusel and accompanied by tarragon ice cream. My first encounter with tarragon ice cream was a pleasant one! The fruit was seemed overly sweet, but I was enthralled with the oatmeal streusel on top of the dessert.  

Among the drinks we suggest you try include the Gin & Jam, which features house-made peach jam, gin, and house-made sour. It is perfect you like cocktails that are on the sweeter side. The Los Coast White Ale is a nice, mild, ale without a strong citrus flavor. We really enjoyed both drinks.

Bottom line: visit The Ravenous Pig as soon as you can. Just be sure to make a reservation. And don't forget about their special events like pig roasts and clam bakes.

Where: 1234 N Orange Ave., Winter Park